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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23973484">A Conflict of Interest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkytoes/pseuds/funkytoes'>funkytoes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:08:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,962</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23973484</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkytoes/pseuds/funkytoes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A hundred years ago, humans were dominated by elves. Ten years ago, Queen Sarai of Katolis tried to lead a peace negotiation to allow humans to regain independence, which cost her her life. Her sister, General Amaya, agrees to become the bodyguard of The Golden Knight, Princess Janai of Lux Aurea...but Amaya has ulterior motives for agreeing to take the post--revenge. And The Golden Knight is not pleased at having a human for a bodyguard.</p>
<p>Can these two look past their differences, and come to a new, peaceful understanding? Or will the rift between humans and elves continue to divide them? And could love possibly bloom in its stead?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Conflict of Interest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So...this is like, something quick I wrote after having drawn Amaya in a bunch of fancy suits and was like "hmm,, Amaya would look great as a security bodyguard in a modern setting ;)" and then this au spawned after talking about it with @oh--you--pretty--things :D </p>
<p>Let me know if you'd like to read more ! :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">A century ago, the long battle between humans and elves came to a climatic end in Xadia’s favor. Xadia had regained control of the continent, and humans were forced to subject to their rule.</p>
<p class="p1">Ten years ago, humans attempted to negotiate a change to the peace treaty—to reestablish the human realms as independent, and reclaim the land they had been cast out to in the first place. It was an effort that ended in loss and tragedy.</p>
<p class="p1">A woman stood before a statue—a statue of another woman on a horse, reaching out to aid the viewer. The statue was famous—a symbol of both hope and sadness for all humans. Queen Sarai—the last queen of Katolis, and the leader of the embassy for the peace treaty a decade ago.</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya heaved a breath, before feeling her earpiece vibrate. It was for uniform purposes only—she was deaf, and therefore an earpiece was useless for its intended use. But she was the best soldier humans had to offer…which is exactly why she had agreed to do this job. If anyone could protect—and take down—the princess general of the Sun Elves, it was her.</p>
<p class="p1">She turned away from the statue, adjusted her suit, before walking up the beaten path. Her brother-in-law, the ‘king’ of Katolis, was waiting for her back in his family’s palace with her two nephews, and she would wish them goodbye before she headed out to Lux Aurea.</p>
<p class="p1">Gren met her at the gates, signing, <em>You ready?</em></p>
<p class="p1">She nodded. <em>I entrust them to you.</em></p>
<p class="p1">Gren nodded, bowing slightly, before motioning for her to follow him. Together, they walked up the steps to the royal family’s palace.</p>
<p class="p1">“Aunt Amaya!” Ezran looked up from his position on the floor, where he was playing with Bait.Callum was nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p class="p1">She sensed someone approach her from behind, and turn when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. Harrow smiled at her painfully, before nodding for her to follow him. She and Gren followed him out of the room.</p>
<p class="p1">In his office, Harrow sat down. “Things have finally settled down between humans and elves,” Harrow said, standing facing her so she could read his lips. “I hope you understand how important it is to keep up these good relations.”</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya and Gren glanced at each other. She looked back at Harrow. She signed, <em>Is that why you’re sending me to join the general of Lux Aurea’s security detail?</em></p>
<p class="p1">“She’s a princess, not just a general,” Harrow reminded her. “And this is a gesture of peace.”</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya felt herself bristle at this word. <em>Peace</em>. Where was Xadia’s interest in peace when her sister tried to reason with them? Xadia didn’t understand the word ‘<em>peace</em>’. Her jaw tense, and signed, <em>I understand. </em></p>
<p class="p1">Harrow narrowed his eyes. “I hope you do,” he said. “I don’t want trouble for our people. Once, I might have wanted to resist, but…if anything happens to the Xadian general…that will only spell disaster for all of humanity.”</p>
<p class="p1"><em>And what would you suggest? </em>Amaya signed, not for the first time.<em> How would you change humanity’s fate?</em> <em>By keeping our tails between our legs and our heads down?</em></p>
<p class="p1">Harrow frowned. “By going about this the right way,” he said. “Not by starting a war. A war almost started ten years ago. I can’t let that happen again. That’s why I’m sending you, because I trust you, Amaya.”</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya was aware of Gren watching her. She felt a stab of guilt, knowing that her reasons for accepting the post was by default betraying Harrow’s orders. But she could not give this opportunity up. This was her chance to not only avenge her sister, but try to balance the disparity between elves and humans. The human resistance would not be quelled—she would succeed, and Ezran would <em>rule</em> as a king one day, and not be king just in name.</p>
<p class="p1">She bowed. <em>I understand and appreciate your trust,</em> she signed.</p>
<p class="p1">Harrow nodded. She bowed again and turned to leave, tapping Gren on the shoulder and nodding for him to follow her from the room.</p>
<p class="p1">“Aunt Amaya!” Ezran ran up to her as she walked down the hallway from Harrow’s office.</p>
<p class="p1">She knelt down and hugged the boy.</p>
<p class="p1">She saw Callum’s feet enter her vision and looked up into Callum’s face. “Do you have to leave?” Callum asked.</p>
<p class="p1">She smiled, before nodding, and held out an arm for him to hug her as well. She stood up, lifting both boys easily into the air, before lowering them back to their feet and letting go. She put a hand on each’s shoulder. She gazed from one face to the other.</p>
<p class="p1">Yes, this was the right thing to do. This was what her sister would have wanted. Perhaps not the method—Queen Sarai had always preferred negotiating first, gun’s blazing second—but Amaya was not her sister.</p>
<p class="p1">Sarai had wanted freedom for humanity. And had lost her life to try to obtain it. And Amaya would get that freedom for humanity—for her sister, for her nephews, for all humans.</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya let go of the boys’ shoulders, and signed, <em>Don’t get up to too much trouble while I’m gone. </em>She smiled again, before pulling them into another bear hug and then motioning for them to follow her towards the family room, where she would give them the parting gifts she had prepared for them. In three hours she would get on a plane and fly to Lux Aurea. And her new life as security detail for General Janai, Princess of Lux Aurea, would begin.</p><hr/>
<p class="p1">Janai stormed through the grand Sun Palace until she reached her sister’s study. She kicked the door open. “A human?” Janai demanded. “A <em>human?</em> Are you out of your damn mind?”</p>
<p class="p1">Her sister looked up from her book, looking at the damaged door with disdain. “Little sister,” the Queen of Lux Aurea said, sounding more than a little bored. <em>“I</em> have security detail, why do you think it strange that you should have some.”</p>
<p class="p1">“I am a <em>The Golden Knight</em>,” Janai reminded her, gritting her teeth.</p>
<p class="p1">“You are still a princess—and as the highest ranking officer of our people it is only fitting that people should protect you…you already have some security detail. Why should it be strange for you to have one more?”</p>
<p class="p1">“But a <em>human</em>?” Janai asked. “Firstly, how can I know she will not attack me in my sleep, for example? And besides…what can a human do that my lowest ranked soldier cannot do?”</p>
<p class="p1">“It’s true, humans are weak, pathetic creatures,” her sister said, waving her hand dismissively. “But this is just to pacify the humans. Let them think we trust them. Let them think they are important. That they have a role in history. It is for formality reasons only. Just tolerate her and soon, within a year, she’ll be returning to Katolis.”</p>
<p class="p1">“You just don’t want a human hanging around you twenty-four seven and so you’re pushing her on me,” Janai muttered.</p>
<p class="p1">“Guilty,” Queen Khessa said with a shrug. “They’re disgusting creatures…why would I want an untrustworthy, unseemly thing before my eyes at all times? It’s bad enough that she’ll be around <em>you</em> all the time…you’ll have to visit me less often for the year she’s here.”</p>
<p class="p1">Janai rolled her eyes, heaving a breath, before forcing herself to calm down, lest she accidentally activate her Magma Mode. She leaned against Khessa’s desk. “I’m sorry for my anger, my Liege,” she said. “It’s just…I don’t see why we were stuck being in this situation—where none of the other elven factions available to play babysitter to this little human?”</p>
<p class="p1">Khessa shrugged. “They’re not as charitable as I am,” she said, turning a page of her book. “And think how fun it would be to see a human cower and humiliate themselves on a daily basis, just by existing.”</p>
<p class="p1">“Then why do you not take her as your own servant?” Janai asked, picking up a pen an observing it, before putting back in its place.</p>
<p class="p1">“I don’t feel like vomiting at her sight every day,” Khessa shrugged again. “Now, I have work to do, Golden Knight. Leave.”</p>
<p class="p1">Janai gazed at her sister for a moment, before standing. “As you wish, my Liege,” Janai said, walking from the room. She turned, bowed, and left.</p><hr/>
<p class="p1">Amaya felt a wave of heat the moment the hatch doors of the plane opened and she stepped down from the steps. She had been warned that Lux Aurea was warm—but she hadn’t expected something quite like this. She stood on the ground, before hoisting her duffle bag over her shoulder, squaring her shoulders, and walking towards the line of guards waiting for her at the end of the runway.</p>
<p class="p1">For a moment, she wished she had brought Gren with her—his company in his sea of elves would have been welcome, and she wasn’t sure how many elves knew sign language, let alone the sign language of Katolis.</p>
<p class="p1">“Welcome,” an elf stepped forward, singing along with speaking. Amaya felt a wave of relief. “My name is Kazi, I will be your translator.”</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya smiled. <em>It is a pleasure to meet you,</em> she signed. <em>But you will not be accompanying me the entire time, correct?</em></p>
<p class="p1">“No,” Kazi admitted, signing along with their words. “But we have prepared a new device—designed especially for you by our top scientists.”</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya tilted her head.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>It is…still in the testing stage,</em> Kazi signed. <em>But our team of researchers say it will be ready in about two weeks.</em></p>
<p class="p1"><em>Just for me?</em> Amaya asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p class="p1">Kazi grinned. <em>It was in development for many years—but after we found out that it was you who would be coming, we expedited the testing stage. So…it may have some glitches as it is just a prototype still.</em></p>
<p class="p1">Amaya nodded, before glancing at the other elves standing with Kazi. She wondered if Kazi was a one of the knights of Lux Aurea, security detail—or just a translator. If the latter, they might be in danger should danger arise…Amaya couldn’t necessarily protect a translator <em>and</em> the The Golden Knight of Lux Aurea at the same time.</p>
<p class="p1">But still, she was thankful for a translator. It would make conversing a bit easier. She looked around, as an armored jeep drove up, and Amaya followed Kazi into it.</p>
<p class="p1">Kazi turned to her, signing<em>, We have your rooms set up and everything prepared for you already.</em></p>
<p class="p1">Amaya wanted to groan. She knew this was all a formality—show the humans the elves trusted them to be good little subjects and accept one of their soldiers as a member of a royal’s secret service, and let the weak little humans try to do something valiant for their esteemed overlords. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">She knew she was far more capable than most of this Princess Janai’s bodyguards—and felt all this fanfare to already be old.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Thank you,</em> she signed back to Kazi, who beamed at her.</p>
<p class="p1">She turned to look out the tinted windows the jeep, watching as the city of Lux Aurea swept by. This had been where the negotiations had been held—this was where Sarai and been when…</p>
<p class="p1">Amaya’s hand curled into a fist, hidden from Kazi’s view.</p>
<p class="p1">The jeep slowed to a halt, and the door opened, and Amaya stepped down out of it, swinging her duffle bag over her shoulder. Before her, she could see a line of secret service elves standing ready to welcome her. She took in a breath, before striding forward towards them.</p><hr/>
<p class="p1">
  <b>TO BE CONTINUED…</b>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <b>Thanks for reading!! Let me know if you want to read more ;)</b>
</p>
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